Improvement in velocipedes



R. METTI-3N.

EDB.

Patented Apr. 27, 1869.

E. OOWLES.& G.

- VELOCI? Bc it known that we, EDWIN CowLns and GEORGE R. MENEN,ofllleveland,A in the county of-Ouyahoga, and State' of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and usegmnf fi EDWIN COWLES AND GEORGE R. METTEN,OF CLEVELAND, OHIO. Lezers Peanut. 89,293Laataz 11m-z 27, 1869.

MPROVEMENT IN VELQCIPEDES.

The Bobadilla referred to in. these Letters Patent and making part ofthe lame.-

Ifo all whom it may concern.-

fullmproveinents in .Velocipedes; and we do hereby declarethatthefollowing is a full, clear, and exact de-` scription thereof, referencebeing had to the accompaymg drawings, making part of this specification,in

l which- 'Figure 1 is an elevation of our velocipede complete'. Figure 2is atop view of the same, with the rear u portion of the seat-springbroken away.

` ing one 'of the drums and pulleys in section.

IFigure 5 is a perspective view of one of the springboxes on a portionof one of the rear forked ends of the perch connecting the two wheels.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates particularly to improvements on two-wheelcarriages or velocipedes, and consists#- First, in giving a progressiverotary motion to the rear wheel of the carriage by means of beltspassing over pulleys, and connected at their @ont ends to treadles orstirrnps, and at their rear' ends to pulleys, which are applied upon theouter surfacesof drums that act upon pawls upon the ends of said wheel,said drums being applied loosely upon the axle of the driving-wheel, andacted upon ,by springs applied in boxes upon the rear bearings of theperch in such -manner that they operate to turn the wheel in onedirection v only, and while being retracted or turned backward inconjunction with the loose and fixed pulleys as a means of enabling therider to apply greater power While ascending hills than is required whenmoving over level roads, as will be hereinafter explained.

We are aware that E. K. W. Blake obtained Letters Patent of the UnitedStates on the 17th day of November, 1868, on a mode of propelling avelocipede .having two rear wheels and one guide-wheel by theapplication of loose hollow pulleys on the drivingaxle, having pawlstaking into ratchets within the said pulleys secured to the axle, andbelts for operating the pulleys passing over guide-pulleys at the frontof the machine to the hands of the operator, whereby be may propel themachine by pulling from directly in front of him.

This plan of Blake is not applicable to the rear wheels of a two-wheelcarriage, and islattended with noise andA other objections, which weobviate by our improved arrangement and construction -of devices.

We are also aware that George R. Metten, one of the applicants underthis petition, filed an application for Letters Patent, ou the 21st dayof January, 1869, in which he described a mechanicalmovement-'consisting of oscillating hollow drums applied loosely upc'ntle shaft of a balance-wheel and adapted for coniinnnicating through themedium of spring-clutch arms, a continuous rotary motion to saidbalancewbeel.

invention, we will describe its construction and operation. l

In the accompanying drawingsf A A represent two wheels, which arearranged .in the same vertical plane, and connected together by means ofabcurved reach or perch, B.

ceives between the arms thus formed the drivingwheel A, the-axle@ ofwhich is secured at its ends to the extremities of these arms.

vThe front elevated end of the perch B has two vibrating arms ortreadles D D pivoted to it at e, in

is formed on the perch for the purpose of-receiving the journal portionO' of the forked standard O'of steering-wheel A.

To the upper end of the journal O, handles a a are seat G', can turn thestandard O to the right or left hand,`and thus guide the carriage.

The seat or saddle G is secured to an arched spring, G, whichv ispivoted at i near the tubularI bearing o', and at tto the upper end ofstandard B', rising from the rear forked ends of the perch, as shown infig. 1.

The vibrating treadles D D, which are arranged on opposite sides of thefront guide-wheel A' are provided on their free ends with foot-rests tt, and also with adjustable clasps or eyes dd, which latter can beadjusted ments e e of said levers, as may be required.

To the clasps-d d, cords or belts c c are fastened at g, beneath seat G,and thence attached by rings or snaps. g2 to loose pulleys, which arefastened by their blocks to cords or belts that pass over and arefastened to pulleys jj upon the outer ends of two hollow drums J J. ,A

The drums J J are disks having hanged perimeters, and these drums areapplied loosely upon the axle p of the rear wheel A and arranged on'opposite sides of this wheel, as shownin iig. 4.

The outwardly extending hub of each drum J is connected to one end of aIvolute spring, S, whose up posite end is attached to the flange of acircular box To enable others skilled in the art to understand our Therear portion of this perch B is -forked and rev rear of whichva tubulareye bearing, c, rises from and applied, by which the rider, whilesitting upon the and set nearer to or' further from thepivotfattachtheir front ends, carried back and passed over pulleys h,which box encloses the spring and is formed on or secured to the rearend of the perch B, as shown in igs. l, 2, and .5.

The object of the spring S S, in boxes It It, is to retract or wud thecords or bands c c3, upon their pulleys jj after every forward stroke ofthe treadles, thereby assisting the rider to retract or lifthis feet,and at the saine time keeping said drums always in proper position foracting upon the wheel A, as will be hereinafter further explained.

To each end of the hub fr of wheel A, three arms, k k k, of equallength, are pivoted at equal distances apart around its axis, and atpoints concentric to its axis, the outer ends of which arms havesegmental dogs, o, pivoted to them at o.

The outer convex surfaces of the dogs o are serrated and adapted to actagainst the inner surface of the flange of their enclosing drum J, whichsurface may be covered, as at n, figs. 3 andv 4, with leather, or othersuitable substance, to produce friction between it and the said dogs.

It will be seen that the arms of the dogs 0 are all tangent to thecircumference of the axle p, and that these arms are acted upon bysprings l, pressing against stops n' on the hub r; consequently wheneither one of the drums J is turned in the direction indicated by arrowsiu figs. l, 2, and 4, the surface -n will act upon the serrated surfacesof the dogs and cause the arms k to press these dogs outwardly, and thusbite the drum so as to clutch or engage it with the wheel A.

' When either one of the drums is turned backward by its spring S, thefree ends of the arms k will re tract the dogs o and allow su'ch drum toturn freely around the axle p of the wheel A without turning this'vheel5 and when either one of the drums is acted upon l by the cord orbelt c to turn Wheel A, the dogs o of the opposite drum will bcretracted and allowed to revulve around axle p, with their Wheel A,without turning or acting upon this drum.

Thus, it will be seen that the wheel A can be turned g2 g2, as indicatedin red lines, fig. l. This will give the rider a greater obtained at anexpense of speed.

Instead of attaching the front ends of the cords or belts c c tovibrating treadles, these ends may have purchase though which latterinstance thefrout wheel would be guided by the feet.

Having described our invention,

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, s-

l. The arrangement of the drums J J, shaft p, wheel A, springs S,elutcbing-pawls, belts c, and treadles D D, in combination with thewheel A', frame or perch B O', and seat G', substantially in the mannerand for the purpose described.

2. The arrangement of the device g, hook g, and cord c, in combinationwith a velocipede, which is constructed and operated substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination and arrau ement of the devices (l, cords c, andtreadles D D, w th a velocipede, constructed aud operated as hereindescribed.

4. The arrangement and combination of the guiding-lever C, seat G,treadles D D, perch or frame B, cords c c, drums and clutching-pawls,springs, and tracking-wheels A A', substantially in the. manner shownand described have to EDWIN COWLES.

GEO. R. METTEN.

Witnesses:

E. H. Pnnnifn, DAN. H. RIDGWAY.

gL yl at the back ofthe seat G', by means of the rings i stirrupsapplied to them, or they may be attached to the lower ends ofvertically-vibrating hand-levers, in

